Greensburg - More Than a College Town

Let me begin by saying I’m not the typical college student. I just haven’t had the average college experience. For one, I’m a transfer student. After graduating high school in 2006, I spent my first year of college at another institution, before transferring to Greensburg’s Seton Hill University in 2007. Once enrolled at SHU, I spent my first year commuting 35 minutes from Blairsville and then moved into an off-campus apartment in Greensburg.

Potentially, my less-than-average college experience could be something to lament over. Transferring, commuting and living off-campus have definitely posed barriers to the campus assimilation and friend-making processes. Slowly but surely, though, I overcame these barriers and carved my own college niche. In whatever euphemism you want to use, I’ve enjoyed dancing to my own tune, traveling my own path, building my own bridge – whatever – throughout my college years. And I think Greensburg played a large part in that experience.

Greensburg is a college town without being a “college town.” It is home to not only SHU, but to PITT at Greensburg and Triangle Tech, and Westmoreland County Community College is in nearby Youngwood. Given its proximity to so many schools, Greensburg has its fair share of college-friendly bars, restaurants, coffee shops, tanning salons and tattoo shops. These businesses certainly affirm Greensburg’s college identity, and moreover, they establish that identity an important, vital aspect of the City. But what I found refreshing as an nontraditional student is that Greensburg isn’t completely defined by these elements. The true heart and soul of the City, I think, extends beyond the college scene and incorporates the interests of several ages, backgrounds and walks-of-life.

In retrospect, I guess I’ve just been an nontraditional college kid living in an nontraditional college town – and it’s been a perfect match for me. But don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with the typical, average or traditional. In my college experience, though, things just haven’t gone that way.

Then again, what or who is really traditional or average? We’re all just people, all different, unique and definitely un-average in our own way. My time in Greensburg, at Seton Hill, has solidified that perspective in me. And ultimately, Greensburg’s inclusive, eclectic nature has not only helped me make the most of the past three years, it has given me a place to call home as a young adult.

Mother-Daughter Day in Greensburg

At 22, I find myself at a transitional stage with my mom. We’re almost to that point where I’m old enough for us to be friends, but I’m not quite old enough to have outgrown her authoritative, parental dynamic. Luckily, as a resident of Greensburg, I’m living in a city that’s diverse enough to bring us together for a night.

Recently, my mom and I got together for dinner and a show at the Palace Theatre. We caught the April 17th performance of Close Enough for Jazz, by the River City Brass Band. Jazz isn’t always my genre of choice, but I have been known to find WDUQ Jazz on my car radio from time to time (okay, actually it’s a programmed favorite). As for mom, she loves jazz. And although I may not be as devoted a fan as she, we both loved the show – it was phenomenal. The guest conductor – Steve Hawk, from Slippery Rock University – was amazing, a truly talented musician. He performed as well as conducted, and his line-up of tunes kept the pace of the show up-beat and entertaining, even participatory at points. The songs they played mixed traditional jazz with WWII era swing and big-band.

Before the show, we had dinner at one of Greensburg’s newest restaurants, One Eleven. Neither of us had been there before, but I had heard that reservations were a must. And now, after having dined there, I can see why. Both our meals were delicious. We each ordered fish specials, a grilled marlin for me and Sicilian tuna with pasta for mom. And we splurged a little too, each ordering the crab bisque, a glass of wine and a post-meal cup of coffee. Portions were more than generous, so if you try out One Eleven, be sure to come with an appetite and don’t forget your doggy bag!

After our meal, we enjoyed the short walk from the restaurant to the theatre. It was a little chilly, but a well-lit and pleasant walk, none-the-less. It had been only my second time to the Palace, and the quality of the show exceeded my expectations. Like my mom kept saying, it was a show worthy of Heinz Hall, for half the price!

So with Mother’s Day approaching this weekend, I hope everyone will consider treating mom to a day or night out in Greensburg!

P.S. – If you're in need of a gift, River City Brass is back at the Palace on Saturday, May 8 for Cirque du Brass Band!

STOMPing into Saturday in Greensburg

I couldn’t have asked for a better Saturday afternoon. The weather was gorgeous, the sun was shining, and the streets of downtown Greensburg were bustling. I couldn’t wait to see STOMP at the Palace Theatre.

Several months ago around Christmas, I noticed an advertisement in my school’s—Saint Vincent College—newspaper for the Palace Theatre. Listed with several other upcoming events, was STOMP, performing at the Palace Theatre on April 2nd at 8 p.m. and April 3 at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Occasionally I have heard about STOMP and have seen STOMP-inspired dance groups, but upon finding this advertisement I couldn’t resist buying tickets to the show. With my boyfriend’s birthday, which happens to be April 3rd already on the calendar and the usual “what-special-plans-am-I-going-to-make-for-you-this-year” thoughts already surfacing in mind, I figured this would be the perfect opportunity to surprise him and to experience something new together. Being the impulsive person that I am, I (briefly) thought it over and immediately jumped online to order tickets. Luckily, there were still many seats available. I debated between balcony seats and the lower level orchestra seats; I ended up selecting Seats 9 and 10, in the center, Row F, about 9 rows away from the stage. Not too bad. Seeing that this group is all about producing unique percussion sounds and rhythms, being seated closest to the stage would be the best place to truly absorb the atmosphere. I was very satisfied with the Palace Theatre’s user-friendly website to order the tickets and with the promptness after purchasing them; about a week later I received the tickets in my school mailbox.

Now with the tickets in my possession, I just had to wait until April. I was keeping this as a birthday surprise for Jim. Me? Keeping a secret? Ha…Oddly enough, I made it all the way to about 3 hours before the 2 p.m. showing on Saturday, April 3. I gave him one of his birthday cards (my indecisive nature won’t let me choose just one) which held both of our tickets. His initial reaction was just a timid “aww...thanks, but uhh what exactly is STOMP?” I however was far from bummed out with his reaction because I knew a lot about the group and was eager to explain them to him before the show. Jim is a drummer (and never lets me forget it with his constant rapping on tables and tapping of feet) so I figured this should be interesting for him.

That afternoon, we parked at City Hall and walked up North Pennsylvania Ave. and passed several different unique shoppes and restaurants. We arrived at the Palace Theatre on West Otterman Street and only had to wait about fifteen minutes for the doors to open. Shortly after the wait attendants began seating people and the show started several minutes later. The group made their way onto the stage and immediately zoned in the audience with a brief performance involving brooms. Because STOMP creates art, music and rhythms by using the body as well as out of ordinary objects, it wasn’t surprising when they pulled out objects like matchboxes, paint cans, garbage cans (and lids), and, are you ready for this? Everything and the kitchen sink (literally). They formed a drum line, with straight-from-your-kitchen sinks hooked around their upper bodies from a metal chain. The performers kept the audience awed, thrilled and engaged through several creative scenes with even more bizarre objects for about an hour and 45 minutes. But even after the show ended, the audience was excitedly eager for more. It was a brilliant performance and an interesting experience; and looking over at Jim’s intrigued expressions every so often made it even more rewarding. I knew he appreciated the technical drumming-aspects involved in the show.

After the show, the audience was ostensibly pleased with the performance; the energy coming out of the show was almost the same as going in. After navigating our way through a mass exodus out of the Theatre, Jim and I tried to reenact some of the scenes we saw during our walk to The Headkeeper, a local tapas bar located on South Main Street; this was another excellent find and the perfect place to celebrate Jim’s 21st birthday. Since the show ended around 3:45 p.m., the restaurant’s patio seating was available as the evening rush hadn’t quite begun. A week beforehand, my supervisor at work had introduced me to the restaurant as a former biker bar, and with the seemingly mile-long rows of beer in the wall-side coolers, I couldn’t help but agree. The service was friendly and the food was excellent; Jim chose the calamari dish, and sticking to my typical creature of habit routine at restaurants, I chose the marinated chicken breast with basil pesto and goat cheese.

The City of Greensburg has so much to offer and all it takes is a little web-surfing, talking to friends, scouting out local events in newspapers, or checking out events listed online, to find something unique and entertaining to do on the weekends. I do not regret picking up that copy of the newspaper because Jim and I had a wonderful time together that day at the Palace Theatre, and our evening at The Headkeeper. I definitely would recommend checking out the many other events the Palace Theatre provides to the community as well as unique restaurants downtown. Stay informed with what’s going on in Greensburg, PA with ThinkGreensburg’s social media accounts such as Facebook, Twitter, and Flickr.

Best,

~A Saint Vincent College Sophomore

What are we doing?

Theater, restaurants, concerts, parks…. these are a few of my favorite things.  No, I'm not going to start dancing and singing around town like Julie Andrews in the Sound of Music.  However, it does make me happy that I am able to enjoy these community assets with my family and friends.  

So, you may be asking yourself what we are doing in this social media world.  We want to know what you like about your community; what are you doing, what would you like to see, and, of course, we want to share information about your community with you.  Topics can include business's that are coming and going and community events and highlights.  The most important part is learning what changes you believe are necessary to improve our community.  So that's it!  Please let us know how you and Greensburg know each other, what you all like to do together and what you like most about Greensburg.  Looking forward to chatting with you and seeing you out in the community soon!

Red Star Brewery & Grille serves their last beer on March 27th

The Greensburg community has 14 more days to enjoy a micro brewed beer and fresh guacamole at Red Star. The owners have confirmed the last date of operation is March 27th. As a way to share memories with family and friends, several informal events have been announced.

An interesting event titled the "Culture & Beer Tour of Greensburg" is scheduled for March 20th. A local resident is organizing this informal gathering to celebrate two Greensburg landmarks. The group will start at noon with the current exhibition at the Westmoreland Museum of American Art  "Concerning the 1930s in Art: Paintings from the Schoen Collection".

At 2pm, the tour transitions to the Red Star Brewery & Grille to enjoy a pint or two of Greensburg's brewing history before Red Star closes and the beer is gone. The public is invited to join the "Culture & Beer Tour of Greensburg". People joining the tour are responsible for all admission fees and beer/food charges.

We all have fond memories of the Red Star Brewery, so look for other "goodbye" parties at Red Star or have one of your own.